Chocolate Caramel Truffle Cake....a lesson in preparation and execution.

I have started again at the International School of Baking with a three week course that largely focuses on cakes.  This was our third day of class, but we finally cut and plated our first cake.  I started this week with a beautiful early morning walk along the Deschutes river.  It is a little lower in April, but is still very beautiful.

This week has been an excellent example of the need for advance preparation in a bakery.  The cake that we produced today has five separate components and all must be prepared before the cake can be assembled.  This is also a clear reason why desserts like this are a delicacy and why they make an occasion special.  This cake is made of two cake layers that are split and filled with two separate truffle fillings, one flavored with rum and one flavored with Amaretto.  The cake layers are also gently coated with apricot glaze which lends a subtle yet distinct fruity note to the cake.  It is positively decadent and is therefore topped with a single spot of gold leaf.  But first the entire cake is enrobed in a caramel chocolate glaze that gives it the beautiful shine.  It really is simply elegant, and straightforward to make, but the lesson lies in the execution of each part.  The texture of the truffle filling and its flavors are important.  The choices of which type of chocolate cake to use as the base, but also be considered.  I am very pleased with the final result.

This chocolate torte is really a Polish dessert called a Rigo Torte, but a current name would be Chocolate Caramel Truffle Torte.  This will likely appear in the bakery in some fashion.  During the last three days, we also make a beautiful shortbread cookie with caramel and almonds and dipped in white chocolate.  Its traditional triangular shape has earned it the name Mont Blanc and can also be made with really any nut and dipped in other chocolate varieties as well.

Other preparation for baking later in the next few week has also led to the following creation in the freezer.

This is chiffon cake with lemon curd and lemon cream mousse filling.  It will be topped with buttercream tomorrow and then some lemon curd and sliced.  Look forward to a finished photo afterwards.  Very delicious cake.  We have also made long flake pastry for peach cobblers, house made peach filling, lemon curd, chocolate chiffon cakes, devil's food cake, and worked on finalizing equipment purchases for the new bakery as it progresses through the remodel.  Look forward to more photos as we are finally able to assemble everything we have been baking.  Each cake is like a little gem with its own family of flavors and components that make it unique.  I am already so grateful for what I am learning.